Almost 150 years after trains first arrived in Orange, residents sit waiting for a direct service to Sydney.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The issue of rail transport in the Colour City has again come up ahead of a NSW Election with incumbent member Phil Donato calling for an extension to the existing Bathurst Bullet service.
So with that in mind we decided to cast our minds back to the beginnings of Orange's relationship with rail and how it has changed the city.
Go west son
The first steam locomotive on these shores arrived in Melbourne in 1854, also the year of the Eureka Stockade which is often cited as the birth of Australian democracy.
Rail birthed a great expansion of settlements and industry in the colony of NSW and in 1877 Orange opened its railway station with Sir Henry Parkes doing the honours in the official ceremony on April 19.
"Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen, On behalf of my colleagues and for myself, I thank you very heartily for your address of welcome to the town and district of Orange."
- Sir Henry Parkes, 1877
Growth of Central West
The laying of rail tracks in the 1870s was part of a larger strategy that began the decade before.
Ever since the Blue Mountains were first crossed by Europeans in 1813, people had made the tough, winding journey west.
The first payable gold in Australia was discovered at Ophir in 1851, accelerating the need for better transport links.
Rail arrived in Penrith in 1862, followed by Wentworth Falls in 1867, Bathurst in 1876 and finally Orange the year after.
The railway provided plenty of employment opportunities and allowed for efficient transport of livestock and other materials and resources.
Both Orange and Dubbo grew as a result throughout the rest of the 19th century, becoming regional centres, something that continues to this day.
150 years later. Did they get it right the first time?
As the decades rolled on rail became less and less relied on and services wilted away as a result.
In 2023, the Great Western Highway is the major thoroughfare from Sydney, over the Blue Mountains and into the Central and Far West.
It's recently become a hot button issue for the upcoming state election with the Nationals and Liberals spruiking their plans for a tunnel and upgrade to the existing highway, something Labor has not committed to.
But with seemingly endless plans and discussions about what tunnel, when and starting where, have we forgotten about trains?
The Orange Rail Action Group (ORAG) think so. They have been campaigning for rail straightening and improved services for a decade.
"The action group co-operated with two rail experts, Philip Laird and Max Michell, and they did a report on the same track," ORAG's Peter Bilenkij said.
"They pointed out that 26 mins could be saved by some very basic changes. The current government has all that information."
Perhaps they, like our forebears 150 years ago, are onto something.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Central Western Daily website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
